Cluster: Swiss Identity

It’s a family affair

This content was published on Feb 11, 2013 Jean-Claude Rouiller runs FKG Dental Products together with his son and daughter. In 2012 FKG was named the best company in French-speaking Switzerland. The prize rewarded in particular the firm’s sustainable success through exceptional performance. (Raffaella Rossello, swissinfo.ch)

Keeping the family silverware in the business

This content was published on Feb 11, 2013 Last year, two of Switzerland’s most enduring corporate family dynasties – Diethelm and Keller – diluted their control of multinational outsourcing group DKSH by floating the company on the stock market. At a stroke, Switzerland’s largest privately held company entered a new phase of public ownership. Almost nine out of ten Swiss companies are classified as family…

Culture

Artists pay tribute to Claude Nobs in Montreux

This content was published on Feb 9, 2013 From left, Swiss musician Andreas Wollenweider, Swiss singer Bastian Baker, Montreux Jazz Festival director Mathieu Jaton, Scottish singer and songwriter Paolo Nutini, Swiss musician Dieter Meier and Swiss singer Michael von der Heide on stage at the Stravinski Hall during Funky Claude night. Nobs, who trained as a chef, launched the summer festival in 1967…

Demographics

From fermented fruit to brandy

This content was published on Feb 9, 2013 Farmers bring along their barrels of fermented fruit, the “mash”: first he distils the apples and pears, then cherries, and finally fruit with stones. This year there are no quinces – the harvest was bad. As for the quality of the final product, Heinz Wuffl says he can’t work magic. The aroma of the schnapps…

Demographics

More foreigners and fewer naturalisations

This content was published on Feb 8, 2013 The increase was primarily attributed to migration by citizens of the 27 European Union countries, with a 4.1 per cent increase over 2011, to a total of 1.2 million. There were 630,000 people from non-EU countries living in Switzerland at the end of 2012, 0.9 per cent more than at the end of 2011. In…

Culture

Book ban by Christians alarms art world

This content was published on Feb 8, 2013 In Jesus’ Name, a photographic book on the International Christian Fellowship (ICF) in Zurich, was temporarily banned when it came out in November 2012 during Photo Week in Paris. Lutz was wrapping up a trilogy on the theme of power that has taken him ten years to complete. On January 24, during a court hearing…

Demographics

Spotting flood risks early saves lives

This content was published on Feb 8, 2013 Catastrophic flooding in 1999, 2005 and 2007 led to reforms in water management in Bern. Bernard Wehren, the hydrologist in charge of regulating lake levels, told swissinfo what changes were made and what effect they have had. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)

Demographics

Finding shelter for homeless European jobseekers

This content was published on Feb 8, 2013 The migrants cannot always use shelters run by the city council, as they are often full and Swiss nationals have priority. Even if they do get in, EU citizens are only allowed to stay for one night. So the Christian charity, the Zurich city mission, is taking up the slack with its own emergency shelter.(SF/swissinfo.ch)

Demographics

Worker abuse revealed ahead of Sochi Games

This content was published on Feb 7, 2013 According to the report, which was based on interviews with 66 migrant workers on Olympic construction sites in Sochi, some workers had their passports confiscated, were denied their wages and were forced to work 12-hour days with little time off. Pay was reported to be very low, at 50 to 80 rubles (SFr1.66-2.42) per hour.…

Education

Swiss universities try to catch the MOOC wave

This content was published on Feb 7, 2013 But not everyone is convinced: some sceptics say MOOCs are not particularly innovative and just a new marketing opportunity. Last year witnessed an e-learning explosion as MOOC madness took over higher education. Eager not to miss out on this new trend, top universities from around the world are joining platform providers such as Coursera and…

Cluster: Swiss Identity

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